This disclosure relates to an applicator and more particularly to an applicator that applies a corrosion preventative to a surface which has a sensor instrument mounted thereon.
During installation of a sensor assembly in a housing, a corrosion preventative, such as grease, is applied to components of the sensor assembly or to components of the housing. As an example, the housing may include a bearing assembly that supports a rotating component positioned within the housing. A sensor instrument of the sensor assembly passes through a bore of the bearing assembly wherein the sensor instrument monitors variables of the rotating component. This sensor instrument, though, is sensitive to corrosion effects. The corrosion preventative is applied to components of the sensor assembly to protect the sensor instrument from the corrosion effects.
The process of applying the corrosion preventative to the surface becomes problematic when an applicator does not control the volume and/or distribution of the corrosion preventative. For example, current well-type applicators use an applicator tip to apply the corrosion preventative to the appropriate surface. These current applicators prove unreliable since these applicators apply an excessive amount or an inadequate amount of the corrosion preventative to the surface. The incorrect amount of applied corrosion preventative does not adequately protect the sensor instrument from the corrosion effects.
Additionally, other current applicators apply an uncontrolled amount of corrosion preventative to the sensor assembly wherein this uncontrolled amount contaminates other components associated with the sensor assembly by migrating onto critical surfaces of the other components. Furthermore, during handling of the sensor assembly and housing, the corrosion preventative applied in an uncontrolled manner also migrates onto the sensor instrument where the migration minimizes or voids the usefulness of the sensor instrument.
Additionally, during handling of the housing, the operator's hands contact this uncontrolled amount of corrosion preventative and then contaminate other surfaces by smearing the corrosion preventative on these other contacted surfaces. For example, the smearing of the corrosion preventative during handling of a caliper assembly of a brake hub contaminates brake components of the hub.
In the automotive industry, automobiles and light trucks of current manufacture contain many components that are acquired in packaged form from outside suppliers. The packaged components reduce the time required to assemble the vehicles and further improve the quality of the vehicles by eliminating critical adjustments from the assembly line. The sensor assemblies of these components experience many handling and shipping steps. These packaged sensor assemblies require a controlled amount of applied corrosion preventative with respect to the volume and distribution of the corrosion preventative so that the proper amount of corrosion preventative remains on the proper location of the sensor assemblies during handling and shipping.